Curious Cryptohominids: A Link Between Aliens and Bigfoot?

In Mac Tonnies’ seminal and, sadly, final masterpiece, The Cryptoterrestrials: A Meditation of Indigenous Humanoids and Aliens Among Us, at one point we find the late futurist contrasting the perceived ability of aliens to hide themselves with that of Bigfoot.

“It bears mention,” Tonnies writes, “that eminent primatologist Jane Goodall had defended the scientific search for “Bigfoot,” a cryptohominid commonly described as enormous. Assuming a gigantic and purportedly foul-smelling primate can successfully lay low, it may be substantially easier for an intelligent technical society, with a tested capacity for stealth and a full repertoire of disinformation tricks, to dodge our radar.”

But what if we were to assume that a creature like “Bigfoot,” if it exists, were actually an alien itself?

Researchers such as John Keel and Stan Gordon have noted the apparent parallels between sightings of anthropomorphic ape-like creatures and UFO encounters. In a few smaller Fortean circles, this sort of research has even occasionally led to the belief that Bigfoot creatures might represent some form of an alien being themselves. Various websites online have even gone so far as to denote Bigfoot-type creatures under the extraterrestrial classification of “Sasquans” and similar names, likening the beasts to being an extraterrestrial race exiled (whether or not it’s a self-imposed exile) here on Earth. Other bizarre speculation along similar lines suggests that Bigfoot creatures are actually pets which, similar to an irresponsible dog or cat owner taking an animal off to a remote location and release it, have been turned loose on this planet by their extraterrestrial owners.

But all the more bizarre speculation put aside, there have actually been studies performed in the past that sought to try and explain why there are, in fact, trends between Bigfoot and UFO sightings. Peter Leeson, a BB&T Professor for the Study of Capitalism at George Mason University, undertook a similar task in 2008. Leeson, who admitted having an interest in UFOs into an economics blog, began plotting UFO sightings on a chart that similarly placed states where Bigfoot sightings occurred graphically. Even in the early stages, Leeson described “an intriguing pattern,” in which he found that states that had more U.F.O. sightings also appeared to be having more Bigfoot sightings. Guest blogging for the New York Times, Leeson wrote that “six of the top ten U.F.O. and Bigfoot states are the same: Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, Alaska, Wyoming, and Colorado. Two states, Washington and Oregon, are among both categories’ top five.”

Although such information is strange, can we conclude from this that there is indeed a connection between hairy hominids and UFO sightings? Are Bigfoot creatures, in spite of being purported to look a lot like us, really hailing from someplace further out than we realize? Or, does this information suggest that, in reality, there is a deeper meaning here? What if prevalence of geomagnetic activity were taken into question? Would we be startled to find a propensity for thrust faults and other Earthbound activity conducive to magnetic or electrical phenomena in these states, and if so, could these be factors involved, either in the appearance of these creatures, or at very least, the perception thereof?

Perhaps so. But for now, whether we believe in creatures like Bigfoot or not, we’ll have to agree that there are just some aspects to this mystery which are, for lack of a better term, out of this world.

Micah Hanks is a writer, podcaster, and researcher whose interests cover a variety of subjects. His areas of focus include history, science, philosophy, current events, cultural studies, technology, unexplained phenomena, and ways the future of humankind may be influenced by science and innovation in the coming decades. In addition to writing, Micah hosts the Middle Theory and Gralien Report podcasts.